A pebble on the road
by Misanagi
Summary: Quatre and Heero walk quietly.


**A pebble on the road**

**By Misanagi**

Rating: PG

Pairing/Characters: Gen. Quatre and Heero

Warnings: Angst.

Summary: Quatre and Heero walk quietly.

Word Count: 866

Notes: Written for the 444 on SDQB. Prompt #1: Stone.

Thanks a lot to Anne for the quick beta.

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The path was covered with small dirty stones. Quatre kicked a pebble with his foot, watching it roll on the path and then come to a stop. He kicked it again when he reached it and kept doing it until the pebble rolled away from the path, too far for Quatre to reach.

"You can always kick another," said Heero after Quatre had walked a few steps ignoring all the pebbles in his way. It was the first time Heero had spoken in hours. Quatre had tried to make conversation before but it was obvious that Heero wasn't in the mood to talk to him so Quatre had settled for the silence.

They had walked miles. Quatre had looked at the landscape for a while, allowing the beauty of earth to fascinate him once again, but as the sun came down and the day turned darker Quatre had begun to ignore the nature around him and kept his eyes on the path they were walking, watching only dirt and rocks for hours.

Without stopping walking, Quatre opened his pack and took out a ration bar. He ripped the package, broke the bar in two and handed one half to Heero. "If we want to walk all night we are going to need some energy."

Heero took the bar and nodded in thanks. "This is Romafeller territory. It would be better to walk pass it quickly."

Quatre nodded and took a bite of his half of the bar. The taste was horrible but he was hungry and he needed to eat. He was starting to feel very tired. They had been walking for hours and he hoped the food would give him the energy to keep on. The last thing he needed right now was to seem weak.

It was completely dark now. They slowed their pace a little but kept walking, trusting their eyes instead of risking using flashlights. There had been a soft wind all day, and while it was welcomed during the day, now that the sun was down it was making Quatre cold. He blew on his hands and rubbed them together before letting them fall at his side again. The pockets of his coat would probably warm them up but they were in hostile territory and he needed to keep his hands ready at all moments.

"I'm cold too."

Quatre almost stopped walking. He raised his eyes from the ground and found Heero looking at him. "I'm fine." Quatre shrugged.

"I'm tired too," Heero continued, ignoring Quatre's answer.

In the weeks they had spent together Quatre had never heard Heero admit that he felt small discomforts. Of course, Quatre knew that Heero got tired, cold and hungry like himself, but Heero had never mentioned it. "Why are you telling me this?" Quatre asked.

"It's too quiet," Heero said after a while. The wind blew some tree leaves and Heero and Quatre froze, their hands an inch away from their guns. Two seconds later they let their bodies relax and continued walking. "You are the one who talks, Quatre, and you aren't talking now."

Quatre frowned. "I thought you liked it quiet, that my talking bothered you."

"It doesn't?" Heero rubbed his hands together. "It's who you are but you are hiding. You shouldn't."

"Hiding?" Quatre shook his head. "I just didn't want to bother you. Why would I hide? You've already seen the worst of me." He bit his lip. He'd said more than he wanted to.

Heero smirked. "Exactly."

When Heero didn't explain any further Quatre went back to staring at the ground. He hit another pebble but in the dark he couldn't see where it went; he lost it. "I'm not trying to hide," he sighed. "I'm trying to compensate." He shook his head. That wasn't the right word but he couldn't find another. "I don't want to bother you more than I have to."

"What makes you think that you do?" Heero's tone was neutral and it revealed nothing. Looking up, Quatre found that Heero's eyes, however, were concerned. He doubted it was something many would notice but he did.

"I tried to kill you." Quatre forced himself to keep looking at Heero while he spoke those words. "I destroyed a colony, I…" He swallowed. "I killed Trowa… You said you were going to kill me and you didn't. You stayed with me, talked to me… and I don't deserve it."

"You don't owe me anything. I've killed. I'm no better than you." Again the tone was neutral but Quatre could see some sadness in Heero's eyes. "Stop hiding."

Quatre tripped but managed to regain his balance before he fell. He looked back and noticed the small pebble he had stepped on. He picked it up and put it on his pocket. Heero didn't ask but Quatre explained anyway. It was time to stop hiding and break the silence.

"It's a reminder of now, of what you said, and of the importance of keeping my eyes on the path… without forgetting the world around me."

Heero kicked a pebble. "Not much to see in the dark."

Looking at the small grin on Heero's face Quatre replied, "You'll be surprised."

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**- The End -**


End file.
